SevenOaks
Sapling
I am sort of new to bonsai - well, not really since I have managed to kill off two specimens of Fukien Tea in the past.
After these two embarrassing encounters I gave it up for a good while. A few years back I rescued a maple from the garden since ol' mother-in-law wanted to get rid of it ("weeds, pfah!"). Not knowing anything at all about yama- or yardadori, I just took a spade and dug it up while in-leaf, on the insistence of my wife. Potted it in a plastic pot and let it sit outside. After two years, it started going southwards, getting issues with the leaves. getting potbound, moss and weeds growing in there.
Still not knowing what I was doing, last autumn I took it out of the pot, cleaned the soil off, did some root pruning (as much as I dared) and put it into a new pot (too small), and cut the leader (don't know what I was thinking, actually). This spring I realized that it wouldn't better off sitting in a too-small pot, so replanted it while still dormant into something a bit larger.
In beforehand, it should be noted - I know this is never going to be a top notch bonsai to swoon over. But I would like to get a few pointers on how to make it at least a bit better. I am thinking going for a slender tree, 50-60 cm. I would need to thicken the trunk a bit (no need for a Bronco bonsai trunk), and I am not sure of the branch going upwards left - should I keep it? Get rid of some of the larger leaves or just leave it to grow as it is?
Still not knowing what I was doing, last autumn I took it out of the pot, cleaned the soil off, did some root pruning (as much as I dared) and put it into a new pot (too small), and cut the leader (don't know what I was thinking, actually). This spring I realized that it wouldn't better off sitting in a too-small pot, so replanted it while still dormant into something a bit larger.
In beforehand, it should be noted - I know this is never going to be a top notch bonsai to swoon over. But I would like to get a few pointers on how to make it at least a bit better. I am thinking going for a slender tree, 50-60 cm. I would need to thicken the trunk a bit (no need for a Bronco bonsai trunk), and I am not sure of the branch going upwards left - should I keep it? Get rid of some of the larger leaves or just leave it to grow as it is?